Caray, Caray!

Happy Independence Day, Uruguay!

Carlota isn't happy that the girls are arguing. She's afraid that Maripaz will try to get her "garras" (claws) into Ivan now that he has money. She likes him, and she'll tell Lucia why one day. Lucia claims she's not in love with him anymore, she just feels affection for him, that's all. Carlota says if Ivan makes a play for Lucia things are gonna get ugly in the house. Lucia says on the off chance that he has a thing for her, she won't let anyone get between them. Not even her mother! And in walks the bitch herself. Saul is there to see her, and he's brought a bouquet of flowers with him. Lucrezia demands that Lucia reconcile with him immediately and set a date for the wedding. It's such a bizarre little universe inside Lucrezia's head. She tells Lucia that JJ is getting her a meeting with Toni McGuire and she doesn't want Lucia's stubbornness to get in the way of it. Wow, Lucrezia's an idiot. If she wanted a meeting all she had to do was go to Toni herself and get one. The guy's been in her house!

Lucia goes downstairs to talk to Saul. She mechanically thanks him for the pretty flowers, but resists his efforts to kiss her, reminding him she wanted them to have a few days apart. Um, he waited 2 days. "That's not enough?" He says he's crazy for her and every minute that passes is like an eternity. Lucia thanks him, but says she's realized they don't have much in common. He says he's sure about what he feels, it's her who has doubts. "What's going on? Is there another man?" Lucia says it's not that. They spend all their time arguing, they're very different from each other…"That's what gives our relationship spice!" Claims Saul. Lucia tries saying she doesn't like his "forma de ser" (way of being; the way he behaves). He'd rather she just say she doesn't like him anymore, but she elaborates that he's "grosero" (rude), "prepotente" (overbearing), "egoista" (selfish) and she feels like he's always trying to imitate his dad. Saul takes offense at that. "As if your family was so perfect!" He throws her parents' divorce in her face, that her dad couldn't stand her mother and her sister is a drunk and a slut. "Well, if you dislike my family so much then why do you want to be with me?" Lucia says he only wants to be with her so his dad won't get upset and so his friends won't make fun of him. She offers to let him say he broke up with her. Saul says he still wants to be with her because he likes her. "Well I don't like the way you like me!" Yes, Saul, she's breaking up with you, catch a frickin clue! "Pues, 'ta bien. Pues tampoco te voy a rogar" (Well, fine, then, I'm not gonna beg either!). A little late for that, Saul. He tells her to be careful, cause if he finds out she left him for another man, it'll go for her "como chango en feria" (ummm…all I can think of is something about poop-slinging monkeys…someone clarify this one for me!)

Lucia goes into the dining room and says she broke off the engagement and she's not going to stay with him just because it's convenient for her mother. Lucrezia tries to convince her that it's also convenient for Lucia, but Carlota tells her to leave it alone. "But I'm her mother!" "And I'm YOUR mother and I'm sick of you using my granddaughters for your own convenience." And she says no, it's not doing Lucia or Maripaz any good. "Do you think your eldest daughter is happy? After what happened with Ivan, she became more rebellious than ever. Going from party to party! Then you made her marry David and now she wants a divorce. And now you want to beg that boy's father after you looked down on him and tried to have him killed!" Lucrezia says she just wanted to give him an "escarmiento" (lesson). Carlota says she ruined Maripaz's life and there doesn't seem to be anything to do about it now. But she better not mess with Lucia, she warns! "Que duermas bien, hija…si puedes!" (Sleep well, daughter…if you can!)

Ivan meets Maripaz for dinner. She complains she's late because she fought with Lucia. She'll tell him in a minute, but she needs a drink first…a double whiskey on the rocks. Ivan orders a tequila. Maripaz turns on the little-girl-voice and says Lucia told him a bunch of lies. "So it's not true that a maid stole our baby and you didn't do anything to find him?" Maripaz claims not to know why Lucia said those things and asks if he really thinks she would be capable of being such a heinous bitch. Ivan says of course not. He tells her to just forget about it. Maripaz says she's still upset. She knows that Lucia has always been after Ivan and because she was thwarted, she became boring and a liar who makes up stories and then ends up believing them. "And now she's worse than ever. Every since she found out you're back, she's gone crazy! I can tell she never forgot you. She even broke off her engagement with Saul. Of course, how could she pass up the opportunity to go after you? The idiot thinks she has a chance, but it's obvious you'd never pay attention to a bitter woman like her!" Ivan tells her again just to forget about it and asks about her divorce. Maripaz laughs that it's a done deal. "You should have seen their faces when I told them all I wanted a divorce because David is gay! As if they didn't know it. You can tell just by looking at him! I can't believe I doubted it. Oh, and if I told you about my wedding night! So, we go into this gorgeous room…." Maripaz is so tacky I could use her to get all the cat hair off my couch. And those of you who enjoy the privilege of being on the staff of one or more felines know how difficult that is!

Toni agrees to a dinner with Lucrezia. JJ says he'll make a dinner reservation. Toni asks for Carlota to be present, since he knows she's the owner of the ranch. JJ says it's true, but Lucrezia is the one who makes all the decisions. Toni insists on both of them being at dinner. JJ agrees and asks if tomorrow is fine. When they get off the phone, JJ calls Lucrezia to give her the good news. She thanks him and he tells her to bring her mom to dinner. Lucrezia doesn't want to, but gives in, if Toni insists. JJ asks if Lucrezia Borgia convinced Maripaz to stay with David. She whines that Maripaz is just hurt and needs a little time. JJ agrees, as long as it's not too much time.

Esther comes in to ask if JJ wants some dinner. JJ asks where David is. Esther tried to call him, but he's not answering his phone. She doesn't think he's interested in talking to them. JJ has finally been too offensive…not that he thinks so. "So he's gonna cry like a girl now?" Esther tries to argue with him, but "no está el horno para bollos" (the oven isn't ready for rolls; now's not the time). Besides, David had the chance to prove his manhood and he failed. And it's her fault for "making" him gay. Estela accuses JJ of never loving David. JJ, of course, blames her, because he wanted a real man for a son. He tells her to get David to show his face "like a man" and deal with things "like a man." He wants David back home by tomorrow at the latest, cause sooner or later Maripaz will be back.

After their dinner, Ivan asks for the check for him and a taxi for Maripaz. The principal (?) at Lucia's school sees Maripaz and Ivan together and comments to her dinner companions that Maripaz is up to her old tricks again. Gossip, gossip, gossip, blah, blah, blah, he's American, she's a drunk, etc. Maripaz wants to go dancing with Ivan and even offers to do a road sobriety test for him, but he tells her he's already gotten a taxi for her. She whines at him to go back to his room, cause she really, really, really, really…and did I mention really?...wants some sex. Well, with Ivan no means no. He signs the check and escorts her out. The look of disappointment on Maripaz's face is so pathetic. Ha! She tries to finish off her drink, but he puts it back down and physically walks her out. Puh-leeze, she would have fallen over if she'd tried to walk on her own!

Alicia's tomb is all fixed up now. Gerry comes to visit and hides to avoid Ivan. Ivan is bragging about how he's starting to get revenge. Somehow I don't think she'd be happy about that. Ivan won't forget, as Anthony suggests, because it just wouldn't be fair. If he lets things go, it would be like letting "those people" get away with their savagery. He knows she wouldn't agree, but he just has that need for revenge stuck deep in his heart. The caretaker, Don Thomas, comes up to help Ivan with the flowers and Ivan tips him. Ivan does the secret handshake with his mother's tomb. Once Ivan leaves, Gerry comes over to ask Don Thomas who he was, but the caretaker doesn't know Ivan's name. Gerry asks him, if Ivan wants to know who he is, to just say he's a friend of the dead woman's.

Camilo and Carmen talk about her working for Ivan. He assumes she'll be working as a maid and getting maid's wages. She's a little miffed that she's not getting a better job or better wages. Celia, ever supportive, says what else can Carmen expect, since she never finished high school or even tried to take any kind of typing or computer classes. Carmen says even being a waitress is a step up from being a maid. Celia tells Camilo to just tell Ivan thanks (implying that it's "thanks, but no thanks") and Carmen relents and tells Camilo to tell Ivan that she'll talk to him. When he leaves, Celia says it's better to work for someone who actually knows you and likes you and respects you…and not somewhere where drunks paw at you and you have to come home practically at dawn and make your mama worry. Carmen asks why he didn't at least ask her to be a receptionist. Did I miss something, or didn't he ask Camilo to ask Carmen if she would be in charge of the house, or "run" the house for him and his dad. Making her more like a housekeeper, or at least Head Maid.

Camilo goes over to the hotel and he and Ivan start looking at the proposals for the warehouse equipment. Ivan also wants to start talking title and salary. He'd like Camilo to be "Gerente General" (General Manager) which surprises Camilo, but according to Ivan, he's qualified, has the right education, and Ivan trusts him. "Even though I've killed a man?" Ivan says they're not going to talk about it anymore. Part of Camilo's compensation package will be an office, car, cell phone, credit card…Camilo is surprised again. He'd prefer a truck, though, and Ivan agrees. "So, how much do you want to make?" Camilo doesn't want to name a number first, so Ivan will discuss it with Toni. Who walks in and asks the guys what's up. Camilo passes the proposal paperwork to Toni and apologizes for not getting him a driver. He just didn't trust a lot of the guys he talked to and others didn't have letters of recommendation. Camilo didn't want to risk Toni. Toni's not worried and the car rental agency will apparently give him a driver if he needs one. Ivan gets a call on his cell from Benito. He's gotten deported. Again. What's this, the 3rd time? Benito's having trouble finding a job and he's considering trying to go back to the US, but it's getting harder to cross. Ivan tells him to get to Alamos and they can talk about a job for him. Well, at least now they're doing outdoor stuff, so Benito might agree to work for them.

I hate Camilo's plaid hoodie. Just saying. Ivan tells Camilo about Benito and about crossing to the US. Maripaz sees them in the street and comes over to talk. Ivan gets roped into showing her the house, since they're right in front of it. Ivan introduces Maripaz to Camilo. They give each other dirty looks and Maripaz goes into the house. Camilo asks Ivan what's up and he says they've only gone out a couple of times. Maripaz oozes all over Ivan and Ivan asks Camilo to go look at the "office" part of the house. Maripaz offers to decorate the house for him. She decorates? Or did she just mean "decorate it with the clothes I'm going to leave on the floor as I shamelessly throw myself at you in a futile effort to do the nasty…with your bank account!" She latches on to Ivan as he starts to give her the tour.

Celia lets Antolín know that Camilo isn't going to tell the truth. But what he did was very wrong and he doesn't have "perdón de Dios" (forgiveness of God; even God won't forgive him). Antolín says he saved Ivan's life, and things went really well for him in "el gabacho" (the states) and who's that thanks to? Thanks to Antolín! Wow, check out the size of the ego on that guy! He gripes about Ivan coming to play the hero, saving all the farmers. "If only they knew they were licking the boots of Ivan Villagomez, son of a maid!" Celia tells him to shut up. "I didn't say I was going to do it!" "You didn't have to. I know you." She forbids him to say anything or she'll disown him. Antolín swears he'll keep his mouth shut and tries to get frisky with his mom. No, he doesn't, he just wants her to forgive him and say he's her favorite and let him give her a little kiss on the cheek, but if you didn't know better and only saw that one bit, it would look like he was trying to mack on her.

Maripaz struts through the house and declares that even though she didn't study interior decorating, she just has a knack for it. And good taste. No comment. Ivan's phone rings and he refuses to ignore it. It's Lucia and he lets Maripaz see his grin. Lucia agrees to go to Guaymas with him. Maripaz asks who it is and Ivan avoids answering her. They make plans to talk further to decide where to meet, since he can't pick her up at his house. Maripaz is dying of curiosity, but all Ivan will tell her is he was talking to "a person" and that where he's going tomorrow is "a un asunto" (to go do something). He asks her if she'd like to see the other bedrooms and she gets all excited. He tells her while she's looking at them, he'll go look at something else I can't make out. She gets huffy and wonders if he thinks she's an employee or something.

The school principal or whoever sees Esther and Judith having coffee and comes over to gossip. She tells them Lucia is working at the school as their child psychologist. Judith thinks she might like to work too, but Esther says her dad would never let her, so she'd better not even think of it. Olga, the principal, tells them they saw Maripaz with Ivan. She says they were talking and drinking. Then she takes off cause she's got to get back to warping young minds. Esther says "Maripaz! No lo puedo creér." (I can't believe it!) Yes you can, Esther. Yes you can.

Ivan sees Camilo over on the "office" side of the house. Camilo says there is space for offices for Ivan and Toni, but his will need to be somewhere else. Ivan says his dad is hardly in the office, so Ivan and Camilo can share an office. Ivan starts talking about furniture needs and says they'll definitely need computers and internal wiring. And another bathroom. "Did you get rid of Maripaz already?" Ivan says she's looking at the house and she wants to decorate it. "You're going to let her?" Ivan says his dad will decide. "Yeah. She might want to fill it up with modern furniture and I don't think your dad will like that." Ivan says he prefers a conservative style. Camilo asks Ivan what his plans are. Well, she wants to get back together, but…Ivan says he thought of her for years, loving and hating her. He couldn't wait to see her again and he wanted to "make love" to her again (oh, please, don't try to dignify it with pretty words), but something stopped him. And he has this constant pain now and he wants justice. Ivan tells Camilo both Maripaz's and Lucia's version of events. Ivan can't imagine Maripaz having maternal feelings, but he doesn't get around to saying whether he believes Lucia before Maripaz comes out of the house. She wants to get coffee and talk about her decorating ideas, but Ivan says he and Camilo have to go to the warehouse. And no, he can't do it in the afternoon, because he has other things to do in the afternoon. She whines about how men are all work, work, work and never think of anything else. What the hell kind of gold digger are you, Maripaz? Don't you know if he doesn't work, work, work, you can forget about the spa and the gym and new clothes and a new car? Make up your mind, you shallow twit! They ignore Maripaz and Camilo tells Ivan that Carmen accepts, but wants to talk to him about the job. "Sure, tell her to call me." Maripaz gets all worried and asks who Carmen is. "My sister, ma'am." Maripaz is pacified. For now.

Esther goes to yell at Lucrezia for Maripaz's behavior. Lucrezia Borgia tries to write it off as Maripaz just being polite to someone they're trying to do business with. Esther's not buying it. She tries to beg Lucrezia to do something to halt the divorce, but Lucrezia claims there's nothing to be done, Maripaz has made up her mind. Judith agrees that Maripaz is willful. Lucrezia says she'll give it another try. She'll suggest JJ's idea that Maripaz stay with David until they have a contract with the McGuire's.

Maripaz goes to a lawyer's office and admires the décor before the lawyer comes in. Horacio somethingwithaV. She tells him she wants to get divorced. "Didn't you just get married? Sorry, it's a small town." Maripaz says it's just not working and she and her husband agree. Their marriage is "por bienes separados" (they didn't mingle their assets…not that either one has any!) so he thinks it'll be fast and easy. Hey, kinda like Maripaz. *rim shot* The lawyer asks for some documents and a meeting with her and David. Maripaz flashes her megawatt smile as she asks what documents.

Ivan meets up with Lucia outside the school. He invites her to lunch, but she's planning to go have lunch with her dad. He sort of kind of invites himself along, just to say hello. He lets her know that he already knows about her parents' divorce. Camilo told him. Lucia says her dad would love to see him. They start making plans for the weekend.

Lucrezia gripes to Carlota that Ester always makes a big deal out of everything. After all, she got over her divorce. She does plan to pass on JJ's suggestion to Maripaz. She's worried that Toni just agreed to lunch to humiliate her. She knows he must have found out about the thing with Ivan. Carlota thinks if he was going to complain he would have done it in private. But she's glad Lucrezia finally realized what a crappy thing she did to that poor kid!

Ivan and Lucia pull up at Gerry's house. They chat about how he's living in a smaller house now, and how his car isn't there so he must be dropping off his son at school, and how he's a good dad, and how he got re-married but his wife died, and how he's got a small construction company, and how he lives with his sister-in-law. The go in and the maid announces them to Carolina. When Lucia introduces her to Ivan, Carolina freaks out and tries to hide it.

Toni tells JJ that he does plan to get some kind of collateral for the loans he's making. He is a businessman, but he doesn't want to take advantage of other people's misfortune. He laughs at JJ for saying that, as the Americans say, "bizness are bizness." People might have a run of bad luck, but they might also waste the loan money. Lucrezia and Carlota get to the restaurant. Toni says the ladies are both very attractive. JJ agrees and says he and Lucrezia were together until she found some other loser she liked better, not that he's lost hope. Carlota and Toni are happy to see each other again. JJ introduces Lucrezia and they sit. Lucrezia gripes at Carlota for saying she hasn't been out to eat in a long time. She smiles at JJ for hitting on her. Lucrezia orders a lemonade, but Carlota and Toni opt for tequilas. Good times.

Judith and Estela confab. They're sure David's the one who's going to suffer if Maripaz goes forward with the divorce. Estela goes running when she hears him come into the house. He tells her he just didn't answer his phone because he didn't want to talk to anyone. He doesn't know if he's coming home. Estela tells him JJ's idea that he and Maripaz should stay together while the McGuire's are there, and then get divorced after. "What does Maripaz think of that?" Estela dismisses Judith so she can tell David that Maripaz has been seen around town with Ivan. "You have to talk to her and demand that she not make you look like a laughingstock!" David says all she does is make fun of him; he can't tell her to do anything! Estela says even if Maripaz does have a thing for Ivan she just needs to cool it for awhile.

Saul almost runs over Judith on his way into the house. She tells him that Estela and David are having a private conversation. Saul is grumpy because Lucia broke up with him. Judith is worried about what her dad will think. "Don't you say anything to him!" He says he tried to make up with her, but she said it's off for good. He thinks she's got her eye on someone else, but he doesn't know who. Judith advises him, instead of trying to find out about his supposed rival, he should be figuring out what he's going to say to his dad. He's sick of living with his dad. Judith mocks him, telling him to move out already…"Oh, but I guess that whole 'looking out for yourself' thing would just be too much to ask, huh?" "Look who's talking!" He says she's mooching off her parents cause she can't find a husband to mooch off of.

Ivan continues his story. The ice cubes in Carolina's glass are clinking away furiously! Carolina asks about business, so they fill her in on that. Gerry comes home and is shocked to see Ivan. He and Ivan hug as Lucia says hello to Alex. Alex and Ivan introduce themselves and shake hands.

Tomorrow: Road trip to Guaymas! Antolín spills the beans and Saul's not happy.

Labels: Fuerza